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Steyn in favour of doing away with toss

Cape Town - Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn believes that scrapping the toss will bode well for the game in the future.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) was mulling doing away with the flip of the coin during the World Test Championship scheduled to start from July 2019 as part of measures to boost the flagging fortunes of the long format.

READ: Steyn set to retire from ODIs after 2019 CWC

However, in May, the ICC decided against scrapping the toss in Test cricket, describing it an integral part of the game.

Steyn, who was speaking at a GoPro promotional event in Mumbai on Thursday, revealed that doing away with the toss would've been the "way to go forward".

"There's been a bit of talk (of doing away with the toss in international cricket). I think there will be some for it and there will be some against it. It might not happen," said Steyn, as quoted by The Hindu.

"(Cricket pioneer) William Gilbert Grace will be rolling in his grave if he heard something called the free-hit, a batsman can be out but he's not out and score four runs off the ball because it's a no-ball. Traditional cricket has gone out the window. T20 cricket has changed the game.

"If someone says it's (doing away with the toss) going against the traditional thing, he's blind," said the 35-year-old.

"The game has changed so much, you have to keep up with the times. England is doing something really well. In County cricket, the toss is gone. You can look at the pitch as the visiting team and can decide what to do.

"I think that's a good way they are doing it, it might be the way to go forward - do away with the toss completely. When a visiting team gets to choose (to bat or field), you get to prepare the pitch, but we get to choose we want to do on it," Steyn said.

Read Steyn's full interview in India on The Hindu

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